Adding a stone landing at my Stittsville front door?

A stone landing at a front door sits at the intersection of masonry work, landscaping and building access, so a few rules are worth knowing before you get quotes.

On permits: the City of Ottawa's advisory on landscaping materials providing access to a building says a permit is triggered where a structure provides access to the building or where there is more than 600 mm difference in elevation between adjacent surfaces. A landing at a front door provides access to the building, so ask the City whether this one needs a permit before work starts. Building Code 9.8.9.2.(3) also requires that foundations for exterior steps go to a depth that meets the frost requirements in Section 9.12; ask the mason how the landing will be supported below grade.

On the hardscaping licence: steps and walkways are named features under the City's hardscaping contractor licence (By-law 2002-189, Schedule 36, By-law 2025-415). The by-law excludes "minor repairs or minor alterations," but we found no definition of that phrase, and a new landing is not a repair. Ask the contractor whether this job requires the City hardscaping licence, and check the City's published list of licence holders.

For the stone itself, the Building Code (9.20.2.5.(1)) says stone shall be sound and durable. Natural stone for a landing is a landscape material under the City's advisory; if the structure ends up over 1 m in height, a Part 4 design is required. Zoning By-law 2026-50 s.204 lets steps and landings at or below the first floor project into a front yard to a minimum setback of 0.6 m from the lot line, but some applications must also satisfy Zoning By-law 2008-250, with the more restrictive applying; confirm with the City.

There are too few published prices for a stone landing to quote a range. Ask each contractor for a written quote that covers the area and thickness of stone, how the base is prepared and to what depth, the jointing or mortar material, removal and disposal of any existing landing, and who is responsible for confirming permit requirements with the City.

If the property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or sits within a heritage conservation district, work affecting heritage attributes requires approval before it begins; check your designation by-law or district plan, and ask the City's heritage planning staff what applies.